By Nick Fonda
Local Journalism Initiative
The headline in last Tuesday’s (Sept. 3) paper was at least a little startling: six candidates had stepped forward to contest the September 29 byelection in Richmond’s District 5.
Of itself, six candidates vying for one post is not particularly remarkable.
(In a recent federal byelection in Toronto’s St. Paul riding, 84 names were on the ballot. The great majority of those candidates were trying to send a message to Justin Trudeau, that he should keep his 2015 promise to reform our first-past-the-post electoral system and replace it with some form of proportional representation. Despite being a long-standing Liberal stronghold, Justin Trudeau’s candidate lost the byelection. Trudeau did not get the message to keep his promise, or if he did, he opted to ignore it.)
What makes the number of candidates unusual is that Richmond’s municipal elections rarely prompt so many potential politicians to step forward. The late Marc-André Martel served as Richmond’s mayor for 31 years and only ever contested one election, his first. His multiple subsequent mandates all came by acclamation. Similarly, town councillors only rarely find themselves having to campaign for votes. The folks in District 5, for example, have given their seat by acclamation the last four elections.
Not so this time. Six people, all men, thought that this byelection was a good time to get involved in municipal politics. Sitting on town council requires commitment. A short mandate of just barely over a year is an ideal testing period. It’s long enough to see if there’s enough time and energy to make good on the commitment. It’s also long enough also to realize that the chemistry or group dynamic just isn’t there.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, or Sunday, Sept. 22 for those who want to cast their ballot early, the more than 450 eligible voters in Richmond’s District 5 will elect their new councillor. He will be one of the following: Pierre Bédard, Raymond De Martin, Nicolas Isabelle, Yves Lupien, Benoit Saint-Pierre, or Kevin Stoddard.
The Record reached out to all six to ask why they’re running for office and what they hope a seat on town council will permit them to do.
Pierre Bédard
Pierre Bédard is 69 years old and has lived in Richmond for the last four years. After studying Computer Science and Economics, he obtained an MBA from the Université de Montréal’s Hautes Études Commerciales. His varied and extensive work experience began with a paper route when he was still a young boy. He spent 25 years working with different oil companies in, among other things, distribution and sales. For a time, he owned a small company that operated vending machines and doubled its profits in four years. He also worked as a consultant to small and medium businesses.
He has always done volunteer work, something he describes as a family trait and traces back to his grandparents’ involvement in scouting. Since moving to Richmond, he has become a volunteer at the Centre d’Art de Richmond as well as continuing his involvement with other volunteer organizations in Sherbrooke.
“Part of the reason I’m running for office,” Pierre Bédard says, “is to meet more of my neighbours and learn their concerns. Richmond’s demographic is changing. There are many people here whose roots go back several generations, but there are also new arrivals from all corners of the world.”
“I’d like to work towards making Main Street a little more attractive,” he says. “Richmond already attracts visitors with events like the St. Pat’s Parade and the Antique Car Show, but I wonder if we can’t do a little more?”
“I find that, in general, people tend to be a little shy,” he continues. “I wonder if holding neighbourhood street parties wouldn’t be a good way to get people to mingle a little more. It’s a common phenomenon in Europe. Recently, the Mahubay Fest on Richmond’s Main Street brought out a lot of people and suggests to me that there’s an appetite for that kind of get-together.”
“I’m also conscious of the need for affordable housing,” he adds. “Could the Town help in some way, either by investing in buildings itself or by encouraging developers to integrate more affordable units into their new construction projects?”
“As well,” he says, “we could look at other income streams for the Town. We should also consider balancing what the Town contributes to organizations outside of the municipality and to those within the municipality.”
